"Hello, I'm Septa's Replacement. I'm the Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad, Milfa. Pleased to meet you."
Noel looked at this woman. She had long straight brown hair, gently tied into a horse tail and rested on her back. Her gentle and mature smile made him feel like he was being taken care of without her doing anything.
From the way it looked, Clara and Milfa's ages didn't seem to be that different. Yet, Clara gave a cold and young fighter while Milfa had a gentle and caring mother aura.
Noel was standing here with Shale and Clara, but as expected, since he wasn't one of the captains, Milfa's eyes were completely locked on him.
Shale, as the leader of the exploration, coughed to gain her attention and said, "It's our pleasure to have you with us, Captain Milfa. This is Knight Iadre. He has shown his ability both in commanding and strategy, so I have him act as the vice leader of the exploration this time."
"Iadre, this is Captain Milfa from the Demon Adjudicator Squad. Greet her."
Noel politely bowed to her. "My name is Iadre. I'm honored to see Captain Milfa. Please take care of me."
"Oh my. How polite." Milfa chuckled. "You are a good kid, unlike these two."
"What kids? Our ages aren't that different." Clara clicked her tongue."
"…" Shale only looked away, not wanting to have a longer conversation than it needed to.
Milfa clapped her hands and said, "Well, it's true that I'm going to participate in the exploration replacing Septa, but I think my role here is just support. So, I won't interfere with your decision… as long as you make the right decision."
She emphasized the last sentence. Her tone sent chills down their spine and the pressure on their shoulders suddenly increased by two folds.
Noel didn't understand the pressure yet, but he could see that the two became a bit more tense after she said it.
Milfa observed their expressions and said, "Anyway, I went here without any knowledge about the current situation. So, I hope that you can inform me of everything that has happened."
"Understood. Please come in." Shale nodded and extended his hand, inviting her in.
They immediately entered the meeting tent, where Shale briefed her about the whole situation.
As one would expect from someone equipped with both power and brain, she instantly understood the situation.
"I see. So, the Plant Lord is missing and there is a chance that the Supreme Devil Organization is involved, considering the Plant Lord sabotaged the exploration first."
"Because of that, you requested Septa's replacement to continue the exploration so as to not alert the enemies."
"Yeah. That's the current situation. We have recognized the facility as well. So, the drugs are going to be useful for the research. If we play this correctly, we might be able to get something to boost the overall strength of our Demon Banner Army." Shale nodded with a serious expression.
"But with me replacing Septa, who is better at the exploration, is causing a problem to the exploration, right? In addition, the Plant Lord is missing as well." Milfa thought for a moment. "There is one more problem. We haven't found the hidden nest. There might be more Superior Demons than we can imagine. So, we can't let our guard down."
Noel nodded. "Yes. And because there are a lot of people who haven't recovered from their injuries, I'm planning to divide the group into two instead of four with each captain and elder leading."
"This way, we will have enough fighting force as well as someone to watch out for the elder."
"Not bad for a plan." Milfa nodded in understanding. "You said your name is Iadre… right?"
Milfa raised two fingers. "Aside from the compliments, I think I have to remind you about two things. First, don't expect too much from someone who had just come. No matter how you brief it, they will still have a hard time adjusting to this environment, especially the exploration. That's why in a big mission, you usually have a longer time to prepare. It's to avoid all the small problems."
"As for the second one… I'm going to ask this first. Who will pair up with who?" Milfa asked."
Noel thought for a moment and said, "I believe it's better to have you with the Stone Lord. I have heard about your reputation, so I believe that your strength is needed to keep the Stone Lord in check."
"That's a no from me." Milfa smiled and continued, "The reason is that we are not familiar yet. Even with my reputation, you shouldn't trust new people easily unless you know them well enough. That's why I will go with Clara, and Shale will keep the Stone Lord in check."
"Shale's strength is second to me, so it should be enough to handle the Stone Lord in case something happens. I see… I can understand how you have been faring up until now… It seems that you have put a lot of trust in someone's strength. It's a double-edged sword. If you use it correctly, you might be able to gain a huge advantage. But if you fail even once, it might come to bite you, you know."
Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't really rebuke her words. As she said, he had put a lot of trusts even though they had just met like the Brothel and Countess Christina.
Noel nodded in understanding. "I see. Thank you for your advice."
"But as expected, I'm sure you're going to provoke me by asking, 'Are you sure you are not capable of doing this? With your strength and reputation, you should be able to do it, right?' or something along those lines…" Milfa made a cheeky smirk as if she had just read Noel's mind.
Noel shook his head. "Nope. I'm not going to provoke you. I know my place well."
"!!!" Milfa suddenly fell silent before realizing Noel's real strength. If he didn't provoke her, then there would only be one more method people like him would use in that situation.
Milfa's expression became serious as she looked interested in Noel. "Interesting."